Forget the tricks you think will help you stay under the 0.05 Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit or suffer the consequences. This is the message in a myth-busting campaign via Clemenger BBDO for Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC).
TAC’s new “Drink Driving: Stop Kidding Yourself” campaign challenges drivers’ belief in myths associated with drink driving, with the aim to encourage them to ultimately make the choice to separate drinking from driving, on every occasion.
It follows insights that revealed more than four in 10 Victorian drivers (41 per cent) say they will drive after drinking, despite the fact one in five drivers killed on the state’s roads have a BAC on or above the 0.05 limit. The choice to drive is often rooted in the misguided belief that it’s OK to drive after two or three drinks as long as you’ve paced yourself, consumed lots of water or eaten a big meal.
Launching across TV, online video, cinema, OOH, social, digital and radio, the campaign is directed at all drivers in Victoria, with a particular focus on males who are overrepresented within drink driving instances.
The hero film features a confident, 30-something male speaking directly to the camera as he lists the rules of thumb he blindly follows to stay under 0.05. As he rattles off this list, we start to realise that these ‘rules’ are nothing more than myths.
“As we head into summer and the festive season, this campaign is a timely reminder to Victorians that drinking and driving don’t mix. We want to embrace a culture where driving after drinking any alcohol is not considered normal,” said Tracey Slatter, CEO of the TAC.
“Many people think they can manage their blood-alcohol level by following a set of vague rules handed down through generations, but the only way to avoid the risk entirely is to completely separate drinking and driving”.
“This campaign is about changing an ingrained community behavior. It’s about debunking myths, and most importantly it’s about reminding drivers that there is no grey area – if you drink, don’t drive,” said Richard Williams, executive creative director at Clemenger BBDO.
Phase one of the “Drink Driving: Stop Kidding Yourself” campaign launches today and runs until 31 January 2024, with media via OMD.
